


Dredging Up the Past

by krzed



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Gabe/Sabine mentioned, Identity Reveal, Mentions of previous ladybug and black cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-10-05 19:30:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10315379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krzed/pseuds/krzed
Summary: Sabine reminisces about her time with the ladybug miraculous.





	

A barely audible thump from above roused Sabine from her light slumber. She blinked the crust of sleep from her eyes and glanced over at her clock. 1AM. She sighed, glad that tomorrow was Saturday, and eased herself out of bed, careful not to wake Tom. She threw on a red silk robe and made her way to the bakery kitchen, tying the silken cord about her waist. She pulled a step stool away from the wall and reached up to the top of their refrigerator, retrieving a jar full of mint chocolate chip cookies, Tikki's favorite. She poured two glasses of milk, plunked a straw into one, and sat at the kitchen counter, patiently awaiting the kwami's arrival. About five minutes later, a red streak zipped through the door to Marinette's room, through the cookie jar, and settled on the counter across from Sabine.

“Slow night?” Sabine asked.

Tikki nodded, her mouth already full of cookie. She swallowed and said, “They chased around a pick pocket for about ten minutes, but that was it.”

Sabine nodded. “How is she doing?”

Tikki smiled. “She's an amazing ladybug. Her confidence is growing by the day!”

“Well, she takes after her mother, after all.”

Sabine thought back to the days before Akumas and supervillains. The days when she swung through the streets of London with her own black cat. She sighed, her eyes focusing on nothing. Sometimes she missed it. Missed the earrings, the adventure, the rush. Missed...

“Thinking about Gabriel again?”

The kwami's question jerked Sabine back to the present. A sad smile fought its way onto her lips. “How do you always know what I'm thinking, Tikki?”

“It may have been years since you wore the earrings, but we're still connected.”

“Think that's why Marinette took to the Miraculous so easy?”

Tikki drank some of her milk and settled back down on the counter. “It may have something to do with it, but you're changing the subject.”

Sabine's smile dropped and she folded her hands on the counter, her thumbs flicking against each other. “I sometimes wonder how he is. How he's doing since...since his wife disappeared.”

“You could always ask him.”

“Tikki, it's been over twenty years since we last spoke to each other.” She closed her eyes. “Just before I married Tom. I don't think it would be appropriate for me to phone my ex out of nowhere.”

A tiny squawk from Tikki's left silenced her response. Both she and Sabine glanced over to see Marinette on the stairs to her room, wide-eyed with her hands over her mouth, her eyes darting between her mother and her kwami.

“Marinette...” Sabine began.

“Bug!” Marinette hissed, just loud enough to be heard, but not loud enough to awaken her father. “Rat! Bugrat! She jumped down the remaining stairs, stumbled upon her landing, then snatched up a pan from beside the kitchen sink. “Don't worry Maman, I'll kill–”

“It's okay, Marinette.” Sabine stood and walked over to her daughter. She settled one hand on the girl's cheek while the other gently pried the pan from her grasp. “I know all about Tikki and the earrings. The two of us go way back, actually.”

Marinette's arms relaxed, but her panicked expression didn't. “Y-you kn-know about the earrings? Does that mean...you...”

Sabine smiled at her daughter and rested her arm across her shoulders, guiding her to the counter. “Yes, mon chou. I do know you're Ladybug.” Marinette opened her mouth but her mother pressed a single finger to her lips. “And your secret is safe. I haven't told anyone, not even your father.”

Marinette sat in another stool at the counter while Sabine went to pour another glass of milk. She looked down to Tikki, who only offered a sheepish grin and a gentle nudge to the back of her hand.

“Maman,” Marinette started. “You said you've known Tikki for a while. What...what did you mean by that?”

Sabine smiled again and set a full glass before her daughter. “I mean we used to be partners, like the two of you are now.”

It took a few seconds for her words to sink in, but when they did, Marinette's wide-eyed expression returned. “You...you were a ladybug?”

“I called myself Ladybird, but yes, I did have the earrings before you.”

She blinked then dropped her gaze to Tikki. “Why did you never tell me my mother was a superhero?”

Tikki set down her cookie and turned her attention to her current partner. “Kwamis are forbidden to share the identities of other heroes under any circumstances. That's why I can't tell you the real names of any past ladybugs.”

“Then,” she glanced at Sabine, “how did you find out?”

“I know what the earrings look like when they're inactive.” Marinette's hands self-consciously shot raised to her ears. “Add to that your odd behavior, mysterious disappearances, and your sudden craving for Tikki's favorite cookies, and I just knew. Besides,” she reached up to stroke a knuckle against her daughters cheek. “Mask or no mask, what mother wouldn't recognize her own child?”

Marinette closed her eyes and nuzzled against her mother's hand. “You know, I thought it would be terrible if someone ever learned my identity.” She took a sip of her milk and slipped a cookie from the jar. “But...it's a little comforting having someone to confide in other than Tikki.” She took a bite and chewed. “And shinsh you had der erringsh befer–”

“Marinette, don't speak with your mouth full.”

Her eyes widened and she swallowed. “Sorry, Maman. But, as I was saying, since you had the earrings before me, it's even better because you really understand what it's like to be a superhero.”

Silence reigned in the kitchen as the two women and one kwami enjoyed their late night snack. Then, “What _was_ it like? Did you have a Chat Noir? Did you meet any other Miraculous wielders? Did you–”

Sabine laughed. “One thing at a time, mon chou.” She fiddled with her glass and sighed.

“I was living in London at the time, studying at the National Bakery School at London South Bank University. I'd worked hard and saved my money my entire life to attend one of the finest baking schools in the world, and there I was, a young Chinese girl who spoke broken English at best, trying to make it with the big boys.” She chuckled. “And one of those boys was a _literal_ big boy: a mountain of a Frenchman named Thomas Dupain.”

“So that's how you met Papa.” She paused for a second. “Wait, was...was _Papa_ your Chat Noir?”

“No. That honor belonged to a man you know very well. A man who, at the time, was studying at the London College of Fashion: Gabriel Agreste.”

Milk splashed over Tikki when Marinette coughed into the glass at her lips. Her eyes nearly jumped out of her head as she stage whispered, “ _Gabriel Agreste was a Miraculous wielder?_ ”

Sabine only nodded. “Cat Sidhe, he called himself. A brave man. Energetic, enthusiastic,” she blushed, “somewhat flirtatious...”

“Sounds like my cat,” Marinette muttered.

“We both received our Miraculous shortly after moving to London. Sidhe and I were best friends. Patrolling through the streets, stopping purse-snatchers, pickpockets, thieves. We never had to fight anything like Hawkmoth or Volpina, no other Miraculous wielders, but we still faced our share of trouble.” She chuckled. “Mostly balancing school and superhero duty, but you know all about that.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “And keeping up with a secret identity.” She paused. “Does...does Papa know?”

“Tom...still doesn't know about this. He never knew I was Ladybird. He knows I dated Gabe for a while, sure...”

“You dated Gabriel Agreste?” Marinette balked.

“For a few months, until he met Adrien's mother,” Sabine shrugged. “We just weren't that compatible with one another. For all his enthusiasm, being a superhero was just a duty. One he fulfilled well, mind you, but at the end of the day, being Cat Sidhe was just a job. Me,” she sighed, “Ladybird was one adventure after the next. It was...the best few years of my life. So when Master Fu came to me asking for the earrings back, I...didn't want to give it all up. Gabriel called me immature, said our time was over and we needed to turn over our Miraculous.”

“So, there wasn't some great threat?” Marinette asked. “Fu just...made you superheroes for a while and took the jewels back?”

“For a time, I wasn't sure why Master Fu gave them to us.” Sabine smiled at her daughter. “But after finding out you were the next ladybug, I figured maybe he knew you would need someone to talk to who knew what it was like balancing two lives.” She reached out and took Marinette's hand. “He knew you'd need me just as he knew Adrien would need his father.”

Marinette smiled and brought her glass of milk to her lips. “Yeah, I'm glad I...wait...” The smile faded and her brow furrowed. “Adrien? What does Adrien have to do with this?”

“Fu knew you would need another ladybug to talk to just as he knew Adrien would need a black cat to talk to.”

Uncertainty washed over Marinette's face. Sabine could tell gears were turning in her daughter's mind, but couldn't fathom why. Until...

“Wha...Adrien? Cha-Chat Noir?” Marinette's eyes widened and she dropped her glass as her hands jumped to her mouth. Sabine caught the glass, surprised that she still had those superhero reflexes after all these years. “A-A-Adrien is Chat Noir? Chat is _Adrien?”_

“Yes,” Sabine answered slowly. “You...you didn't know?” Marinette shook her head, a high-pitched squeak emerging from behind her palms.

“Oh dear.”

Up in Sabine and Tom's bedroom, Tom Dupain woke at 1:30 to a gentle tapping on his window. He glanced up to see a pair of glowing green eyes outside that swiftly moved towards the other end of the house once they registered that Tom was awake. He slipped out of bed, careful not to wake his wife yet too tired to notice she was missing. He tiptoed through the living room and eased open one of the windows. In slipped a young man clad in black leather and cat ears and the room briefly lit up with sparks of green.

“Slow night, Adrien?” Tom whispered.

“Yes, sir, uh, T-Tom.”

The massive baker smiled. “I'll have you trained yet, young man.” He clapped a hand on Adrien's shoulder and led him through the living room. “Come on, I'll get you some croissants and some cheese for Plagg.”

“And...” Adrien scratched at the back of his head. “Maybe some more stories about Ladybird and Cat Sidhe?”

Tom smiled. “Alright.” They casually strolled towards the stairs leading down into the bakery. “So, we're about to graduate and Sabine still has no idea I figured out her identity...”


End file.
